The Esplanade, Calcutta

This view of the Esplanade, the street running along the northern boundary of the Calcutta Maidan, includes the new Government House built by Marquess Wellesley during his period in office 1798-1805. The Daniells left Calcutta for the last time in March 1792 for Madras. Old Government House and other buildings on the Esplanade had figured in their Twelve Views of Calcutta, aquatints published in that city 1786-88. They could not of course have seen the new Government House of this drawing, but here William Daniell has set it within the context of the other buildings on Esplanade Row which of course they had seen and drawn. His rendition of Government House seems to be based on the print published in London by Edward Orme in 1805, in turn based on the aquatints published by the Calcutta local artist James Moffat a few years earlier. Moffat's views were taken before the enclosing railings and great ceremonial gateways were erected in April 1802, and are accordingly missing from this watercolour.

In 1810 the Daniells included another view of the new Government House building in their 'View of Calcutta from the Garden Reach', pl. 49 of their Picturesque Voyage to India by way of China. William Daniell worked this up in oils in 1834, a painting now in the Victoria Memorial, Calcutta.